Why SmartOffice makes Smart Business Sense

With Zero CAPEX, SmartOffice is a single box solution that offers future-ready solutions that empower SMEs to gain advantage over competition and DO BIG.

In today’s digital era, connectivity is king. Be it voice, data, storage or apps, connectivity plays a major role in driving productive business outcomes. On the other hand, lack of robust connectivity can sound the death knell for any competitive business. Backed by excellent connectivity, even start-ups can get a ‘head-start’ over their peers.

SMEs need to understand that in procuring a cost efficient and good connectivity solution for all the elements mentioned above, they need to look beyond fragmented approach and go for a smart single-box solution that comes with zero upfront costs and also reduces the operational expenses by 50 percent.

The All in One Solution

SmartOffice is an innovative single-box solution designed to meet all Information and Communication Technology (ICT) requirements of businesses. As a powerful combo, bundling voice, data, storage and applications, SmartOffice is secure, affordable, reliable, easy to deploy, and a perfect choice for enterprises seeking to open a new branch office or for start-ups. This All in One product is a one-stop solution offering integrated last-mile connectivity for voice and the Internet.

For SMEs and start-ups, it’s a typical but difficult challenge in managing numerous technologies and devices, committing CAPEX and OPEX, and dealing with several vendors and partners. SmartOffice addresses these core concerns, offering an ICT solution that’s robust, future-ready and cost-effective. It provides the functionality of various devices all in one box that includes IP-PBX, Data Router, Wi-Fi Access Point, VoIP/GSM Gateway, VPN and Firewall Security, etc.

With its new and flexible offering of CRM management, SMEs can now effectively monitor and manage their customer’s business expectations, implement campaigns and enrich their customer relationships.

The All in One solution eliminates the need for establishing separate voice and data infrastructure, including Basic Rate Interfaces, Primary Rate Interfaces and local PSTN gateways, thereby substantially lowering overall ICT costs. The box is best suited for small businesses and branch offices since it helps in increasing productivity, eliminating CAPEX cost on telecom infrastructure and enhancing collaboration. The small entities could include manufacturing units, start-ups and specialized services such as educational institutes, consulting firms, architects, hospitals and small clinics, branch offices, and enterprise branch offices. SmartOffice is also appropriate for businesses with high mobility such as retail chains, travel agencies, warehouses and trading companies.

The emphasis on small business is partly because these customers kept mentioning over the years that they wanted a simple, one-stop solution for establishing or expanding business operations into new locations. Presently, setting up any new business or a branch office is cumbersome as it involves procuring telecom infrastructure, computing technology and applications relevant to the business.

It seemed a paradox of sorts that in this era of convergence, voice and data is being offered in separate domains. Besides creating multiple challenges, this divides the business person’s time in dealing with multiple vendors and evaluating each product. For customers with little or no technical knowledge, choosing the right telecom infrastructure is akin to a nightmare.

Given this scenario, SmartOffice is a single-box solution that comes as a boon to SMEs. It is cost-effective, efficient and saves all the upfront costs. At present, the estimated expenses on telecom hardware with voice and data in separate domains and involving multiple vendors is anywhere upwards of Rs 1 Lac whereas SmartOffice comes at no hardware cost. With a basic monthly plan of Rs 999 and Pay as you grow module, the enterprise gets effortless connectivity to get their business started in flat 60 minutes and gets 24*7 service support. Therefore, substantial savings accrue right from the beginning of the operations for small-to-medium enterprises. Moreover, unlike other hardware that runs the risk of becoming obsolete, SmartOffice is future proof and ready to integrate SIP-based (Session Initiation Protocol) solutions

Phased Offerings and Launch

SmartOffice is offered in two phases. In phase 1, Tata Tele offers voice, data and the document management system while apps are added in the second phase. Each SmartOffice box has the capacity to connect 30-35 employees. It is ideal for small offices having 10-15 employees but planning to expand operations in the near future. As the staff strength grows beyond 30-35 people, businesses can simply procure another SmartOffice box to enhance capacity. In case the business scales up significantly, the customer does not run the risk of his investments turning redundant since SmartOffice is free.

Significantly, the challenges faced by small businesses when setting up telecom infrastructure can vary from enterprise to enterprise. A small business such as a nursing home may face a challenge in setting up the smart communication infrastructure without complexities while the branch office of a finance company may have a concern vis-à-vis connectivity with other branches and its head office. A small call centre may require faster connectivity and higher ASR (Answer Seizure Ratio) in delivering more calls within a given timespan. In all these cases, SmartOffice is the one-stop solution addressing all these difficulties and working seamlessly with SMEs across industries and segments.

Presently, SmartOffice is offered in select cities only but will soon be available across India. It may be noted that SmartOffice is the first comprehensive product in this segment successfully converging voice and data in a seamless manner.

Considering today’s ultracompetitive business environment and the high compliance costs of the GST regime for small businesses, any savings in costs and faster deliverables due to operational efficiencies can make a big difference in the competitiveness of small-and-medium enterprises. Clearly then, SmartOffice is the way forward for these entities in boosting their business efficiencies and bottom-lines.